First Contacts
by DorkLonk
Summary: The Outbound Flight Project has been reinstated and the Galactic Empire is about to make new encounters with the United Federation of Planets. The Federation isn't the only problem, for a familiar foe is right around the corner. Reviews Please
1. Prologue

All characters (except for James Anez) are owned by their respective copyrights along with the technology, names (other than Emerald Dawn) and systems. The story is hopefully my own and don't sue me if I accidentally stole your story ..

Prologue

"What the hell is that thing?" Commander Riker asks Data, who is seated at the Ops station. "Sir, I have no idea. This ship does not match with any known configuration in the Federation Database. Captain Picard stands and loosens his collar as he looks out onto the view screen. There faces a large, grey, wedge sitting in their path. "Try hailing them…" A ringing sound emanates from the security console run by Lieutenant Worf. "Sir, comm channels are open." "This is Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_. Can we assist you?"

Crossing his arms, Captain James Anez looks out at the strange ship before him. "What is this thing?" "Captain apparently it's the Starship Enterprise belonging to the United Federation of Planets." His comm officer states. "Tch, never heard of this Federation…patch me through to this..._Enterprise_." "Right away sir..."

"Captain, we're getting a response." "Onscreen." The view screen switches over to Captain Anez's torso and face. "Unknown vessel you have entered Federation space, please state your business." Picard asks politely as any Federation officer would. "**My** business? Why is it any concern of yours? This is the Imperial Star Destroyer _Emerald Dawn_. I suggest you move out of our way. We're on important, **classified**, business." Captain Anez nods his head towards the comm. officer showing that he wants the line cut. "Damn is he annoying, maybe he'll do the smart thing and back away."

Captain Picard walks back to his chair and adjusts his uniform. "Well, they weren't very polite now were they?" He asks his second-in-command or his "number one". A warning arises from the tactical console behind them, "Sir, they are charging weapons!" "Perhaps that was an understatement. Red Alert! Raise shields and charge phasers!"

"Captain they're charging their weapons…do you want me to power up the ion batteries?" his weapon's officer asks Anez. "Hmm, let's see how hard they bite. Eh?" The weapon's officer smiles and orders the gunnery sergeant to fire a small burst of the ion batteries to port after they've adjusted. "Ok navigation, you know what to do. Basic firing pattern, port firing maneuvers." The ship spins around show all of its guns on the port side are in full view to the _Enterprise_.

"What the?! All hands brace yourselves!" Picard yells to the bridge crew. Small blue bursts flow out of the massive cannons of the Star Destroyer. The blue bursts blend into the flashing blue shields of the _Enterprise_. "Sir, shield strength has been reduced to seventy percent."

"Damage report?"

"No damage reported, only shields have been weakened."

"Doesn't seem they're too strong, fire phasers on those guns."

The Galaxy-class ship elegantly spins through space as it aligns the phaser rings on top of the saucer section of the cruiser. The entire ring glows red for a quick second and an orange beam of light flies out of the ring and impacts into the _Emerald Dawn's_ shields. The light does not last for long and the shields seem to have taken no damage. "That's all they can dole out?! Hah! How weak! Obliterate them!" The captain of the _Dawn_ orders to his crew.

"Should we launch fighters?"

"No no, we can easily take out this target. Continue to use the ion batteries but in stronger bursts. Let's destroy their shields first and then maybe they will move. We have to be civil about this after all." The entire bridge crew cracks a smile after this snide remark. With the beeping and pressing of buttons, the roar of energy being ripped out of the cannons can be faintly heard on the bridge as James watches the blue bursts pound into the _Enterprise_.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"The Imperial Center, the glimmering hope of peace and justice in an already unstable galaxy. Based on the planet of Coruscant, all of the Galactic Empire's governmental officials and leaders live and work here. Coruscant also houses the ruler of the galaxy, Emperor Palpatine. It was around ten years ago that the Clone Wars were ended in a bloody victory. The Jedi were driven to the edge of extinction, the Confederation of Independent Systems were pounded into oblivion. The Galactic Republic was morphed into the first Galactic Empire, and peace and prosperity were being absorbed into the populace.

"But, a group of terrorists deeming themselves as the _Alliance to Restore the Republic_ or the _Rebel Alliance_, have brought chaos and disorder to ruin this new peaceful time. Therefore our Grand Emperor has begun an 'Extragalactic Exploration Mission.' So we might find allies to join up against this Rebellion to stifle it once and fo-"

"Yes…I know what the mission specs are BeeFour. There's no reason to repeat yourself over and over." Captain James Anez states to his protocol droid, or basically his secretary. "The Admiral wouldn't have called me to his office on Imperial Center if I didn't know the mission. Apparently, he wants to take my ship and use it to chart unknown space beyond our own galaxy. It's really quite interesting and my crew can't wait to get started." Captain Anez is a young man, in his mid-twenties. The best assignment was to patrol in the Mid-Rim Territories. Not as exciting as fighting pirates, but when danger revealed itself the danger was formidable, mainly Rebel saboteurs attempting to "liberate" a planet or "acquire" technology.

This assignment was **big** however; the biggest Captain Anez has ever received. This meeting with Admiral Holtz was nerve racking. "Take a deep breath James…there's no need to be nervous. It's another charting mission, that's all. Nothing strange about it." After crossing, what seemed to extend into eternity, the bridge that connected the docking port to Admiral Holtz's office, James calmly enters the door. The office was extravagant, no surprise seeing Admiral Holtz's rank and status within the Empire. "Ah, Captain Anez, take a seat." Holtz says with a friendly tone as he motions to a seat in front of his large desk. Taking his seat, Anez asks, "So, I assume this is for the EEM?" "You would be right Captain. As you already know, the Rebellion has taken an unexpected turn. They're deadlier than we thought, gaining support throughout the galaxy."

"As the Rebellion gains support, we lose it. More and more systems are backing up the Rebellion, blaming the Emperor's grasp for power as an excuse to defect. To make matters worse, the Hutts seems to be mobilizing their forces in the Outer Rim. We have no idea what they're up to but Imperial Intelligence is keeping a keen eye on them. This is why we've called you Captain; your ship the _Emerald Dawn_ is the only ship in the fleet that is using the experimental engine system. Not only does your ship have a Hyperdrive rating of 2.3 but your ship can handle continuous use for up to 10 years of deep space travel."

"Our Grand Emperor wants you and your crew to explore past our own galaxy. Somehow he acquired hyperspace coordinates outside of our galaxy and that's where we are going to start. From then on, it's your crew's mission to plot points along the journey and meet new aliens and convince them to join us in our time of need. Captain Anez, you provide a bright future to our Empire."

"Yes sir, I won't let you down sir." James Anez says as he stands and salutes. "My ship is currently at Bilbringi Shipyards getting the upgrades to shields, engines and life support. I arrived here on a long-range shuttle from the Shipyards." "Ah, very good. Well your crew is probably expecting you back; you need to be there to watch over the upgrades anyway. By the way, we're supplying you with prototype fighters. The TIE Advanced x7, or the TIE Interceptor the scientists like to call it. Much faster and durable than the TIE Fighter, hopefully they will defend your ship against fighter attacks, god forbid that should happen."

"Of course, well thank you for this assignment. I'm honored to speak with you person-to-person. This mission must've been extremely important, considering the circumstances." James explains as he heads towards the door. "This mission is a priority one assignment and very classified. Only your crew is to know the mission objectives, nobody else outside of your ship and the engineers at Bilbringi." "Right, of course sir." "Well then…good luck." "Thank you sir." A feeling of pride boils up to James Anez's throat. "This is amazing, I can't believe this!" "What is wrong sir? Are you alright?" "BeeFour…this mission is really important to me. You know this is the break I've been looking for. When I successfully complete this mission I'll be promoted to Admiral for sure!" "You humans…I swear. Getting excited over promotions and dangerous missions. A queer bunch you are." "Heh, compared to other people, I'm normal." "Oh…oh dear."

Clearing the scaffold from Admiral Holtz's office to the docking port, James boards the Lambda Class Shuttle and it lifts off from the port. Clearing the office building, the shuttle spreads its two wings to form a triangular wingspan and starts to clear the atmosphere of Coruscant. This is a challenge when done on manual, due to the thousands of air speeders and transports that fly across the city skyline. An autopilot easily clears the hazards though and bursts into the massive space that surrounds them. Getting clearance to hyper jump to the Bilbringi system, the shuttle's engines glow white hot and suddenly speeds off into the infinite void called hyperspace.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hyperspace…I don't understand why people dislike the view. The mixture of the stars and planets, the infinite void, a thousand times more beautiful than empty space. That's why I hate using passenger ships and ferries to get to and from a planet. They use filters to block the view of hyperspace to the public and replace it with scenic views of your destined planet or system. But military transports, why would you waste the credits to please your troops? They have enough; chairs, transparisteel windows, comfortable environment, and the basic needs of any human. Nothing fancy, just the works, and just the way I like it." James explains to his top pilot at the reigns of the shuttle.

The pilot at the helm chuckles a bit as he nods his head. "Yes sir." He spins around to face Anez, "Why do you think I joined the Imperial Navy? To have my butt set in a padded chair while I look at the majestic landscape? No! I joined to sit in a durasteel seat behind the controls of a TIE Fighter and destroy that landscape!" The pilot says with enthusiasm. "Well, guess who gets to test out the new TIE Interceptors first? You do...Lieutenant Reytal. You're my best pilot and I want you to lead Delta Squadron." "M-me sir?" Joshua Reytal stutters with joy. "Of course, you have the most kills in a TIE Fighter. You and eleven other men will be flying in the elite Delta Squadron. You will be going out to investigate mysterious entities in this new galaxy. Basically, you'll see things before everyone else will."

"That's…that's amazing! T-t-thank you sir!" "No problem…now how long before we reach Bilbringi? I'm anxious to see what they've done to my ship." "In about two minutes sir." "Thank you Lieutenant." The black and blue mix of stars and planets begin to normalize and the shuttle enters into realspace. Ahead of the shuttle is the massive Bilbringi Shipyards, not as large as Kuat's yard but it does the job. The shipyard is guarded by three Imperial I - class Star Destroyers, along with a Golan II - class Space Platform. No Rebellion fleet dares to attack this shipyard but it never helps to be too careful. In the center of one of the massive dry-docks, sits the _Emerald Dawn_, the _Emerald Dawn_, is an Imperial II - class Star Destroyer. One of the first in a line of advanced battleships being constructed by Kuat Drive Yards.

With a length of sixteen-hundred meters it has a speed of sixty megalights. The cruiser is pushed by three Kuat Drive Yards Destroyer-I ion engines for main, with four Cygnus Spaceworks Gemon-4 ion engines as backup. A Hyperdrive rating of 1.0, it is currently the fastest cruiser in the fleet. A SFS I-a2b Solar Ionization Reactor powers the entire cruiser including two Kuat Drive Yards ISD-72x shield generator domes. The ship is protected with reinforced durasteel armor and sixty turbo laser cannons including eight massive turbo laser batteries on the top of the ship's hull, along with twenty ion cannons and ten tractor beam projectors. A crew of 37,085 and a cargo capacity of 36,000 metric tons, this cruiser can easily support life. Normally, this cruiser would hold six years worth of supplies, because of the mission it has been modified to carry, at a minimum, of ten years worth.

"Beautiful isn't she." Captain James Anez says with pride. "The toughest ship in the fleet and we're the only ones who have one. I heard these things won't even be introduced for years now. Infact this is a prototype, they took the name from my old Imperial I and transferred it over to this ship. I even overheard command saying that if this mission is as successful as they expect it to be, I could be promoted to Admiral and get a command of one of the new Super Star Destroyers that are in development over by Fondor."

_"Shuttle Ruby, we're assuming that's Captain Anez returning from Coruscant?" _"You'd be assuming correctly Bilbringi; I'm here to inspect the _Emerald Dawn_ and to see how the modifications are going." _"We've been expecting you Captain. Dock at the station and we'll give you a pod to dock with the ship, because the hanger bays don't have life support yet." _"Roger that Bilbringi." The shuttle docks with the command station aboard the dry-dock. The Star Destroyer is a wedge shaped ship; rumors have it that the Emperor ordered Kuat to design the ships as so to give its victims the final sight of an arrow piercing the burning sky. The Imperial Star Destroyer was an icon, an emblem of the Imperial Navy and the Empire herself. Whenever someone saw an Imperial Star Destroyer in the system, you knew the Empire was there on business.

After docking the shuttle Captain Anez and Lieutenant Reytal board a docking pod and skim the surface of the Star Destroyer. Hundreds of droids and humanoids, in zero-g suits, cover the hull. "Hornets, fixing up the hive." The pod docks on the port side of the massive bridge attachment, entering the bridge, James Anez takes in a deep breath. "I love artificial air, a lot cleaner than most planets are. So, let's take a tour of the bridge and the quarters, I realize this is the only safe place but might as well." The official from Kuat, who was watching over the modifications, nods his head, "Right this way Captain." Captain Anez, the official and Lieutenant Reytal walk down the corridor to inspect the ship that was destined for great things and broaden horizons.


End file.
